Providing proof that transmitted or stored electronic data was originated by a particular user and has not been tampered with since or substituted with a forgery is not an easy problem to solve.
Authentication of public keys used to encrypt original data is traditionally done using certificates whereby a trusted third party (TPA) acts as a Certification Authority (CA) and publishes public keys and their associated owner's identities (ID's) in the form of certificates. These certificates are digitally signed using the private key of the CA so that the authenticity of a certificate may be checked by anyone using the public key of the CA.
The binding of the ID with the public key is an important issue. There are several problems with the CA approach. A central server has to be constantly available, accessible under varying traffic conditions and hacker proof. Strict security procedures need to be followed by the CA to check ID's before issuing each certificate. Also procedures need to be in place to prevent tampering of certificates. The CA has to have credible trustworthiness. Apart from checking the digital signature a user cannot directly verify the associated ID of a public key.
Moreover, much of current day electronic communications involves digital files and in the case of encrypted communications the encryption and decryption keys are usually stored as digital files. In many applications it is necessary to bind one or more digital files to the identity of an individual who is designated as the originator, owner or administrator of said files. An example of particular importance is the binding of a public encryption key or any shared secret to an individual to prevent impersonations such as Man In The Middle (MITM) attacks.
What is desired are improved techniques to provide an irrefutable association or binding of a person's identity with transmitted data.